Eleanor Finch
The United States Constitution, the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force, was signed on September 17, 1787, and ratified in 1788. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. The Constitution has been tweaked by 27 amendments, with the latest being the 27th Amendment, which was ratified in 1992. As of this week, the US Constitution is 235 years old.
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What You'll Learn
The US Constitution is the oldest written national constitution still in use
The US Constitution, written in 1787 and ratified in 1788, is the oldest written national constitution still in use. It has been through many critical changes and expansions since then. The Founding Fathers intended the document to be flexible to accommodate the changing needs and circumstances of the country. The US Constitution is the world's longest-surviving written constitution.
The Constitution was authored by the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, with George Washington unanimously elected as the president of the Philadelphia convention. The document was intended as a revision of the Articles of Confederation. The proposal was agreed to by eleven state delegations and the lone remaining delegate from New York, Alexander Hamilton. Within three days of its signing, the Constitution was submitted to the Congress of the Confederation, then sitting in the nation's temporary capital, New York City.
The process outlined in Article VII of the proposed Constitution tasked state legislatures with organizing "Federal Conventions" to ratify the document. This process ignored the amendment provision of the Articles of Confederation, which required unanimous approval of all the states. Instead, Article VII called for ratification by just nine of the 13 states, a two-thirds majority. Two factions emerged: the Federalists, who supported the Constitution, and the Anti-Federalists, who opposed it and demanded a more concise and unequivocal Constitution.
The Anti-Federalists argued that the document should lay out the rights of the people and the limitations of the government's power. They believed that the lack of a bill of rights would result in trading one government for another without any significant change. However, most delegates held that the fundamental rights of individuals were secured in the state constitutions. The Federalists, including James Wilson, maintained that a bill of rights was unnecessary as all power not expressly delegated to the government was reserved for the people.
The US Constitution has been amended and legally ruled upon numerous times since its inception. The Bill of Rights was adopted in 1791, and since then, Congress has passed 23 additional amendments, with the states ratifying only 17 of them. One notable example of a change to the Constitution is the recognition of corporations as "people" with associated rights. This interpretation began with the Supreme Court's decision in Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad Company (1886) and was further expanded in Citizens United vs. FEC (2010).
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It was signed on September 17, 1787
The U.S. Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787. This date marked the last time the delegates to the Constitutional Convention met to sign the document they had created. The signing of the Constitution took place in Philadelphia, and it was the culmination of a process that began with the convention's first meeting on May 25, 1787.
The Constitutional Convention was a significant event in the history of the United States, as it laid the framework for the country's government. The convention was presided over by George Washington, who was unanimously elected president of the convention. The delegates to the convention, including Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton, debated, criticized, and refined the document over several months.
The final document was signed by 39 individuals, including representatives from 11 states and the lone remaining delegate from New York, Alexander Hamilton. Within three days of its signing, the Constitution was submitted to the Congress of the Confederation, which was then sitting in New York City, the nation's temporary capital.
The U.S. Constitution has undergone critical changes since its signing in 1787 through amendments and legal rulings. It is the world's longest-surviving written constitution, and the Founding Fathers intended it to be flexible to meet the changing needs of the country. The Bill of Rights, adopted in 1791, was one of the first significant amendments to the Constitution, and since then, Congress has passed 23 additional amendments, 17 of which have been ratified by the states.
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It established the US government
The US Constitution is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in the world. It is the supreme law of the United States of America and has been amended 27 times since it became operational in 1789. The US Constitution established the US government by delineating the framework of the federal government into three branches: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial.
The legislative branch consists of a bicameral Congress (Article I), with the House of Representatives being composed of members chosen every second year by the people of the several states. The executive branch consists of the President and subordinate officers (Article II). The President is the Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy and may grant reprieves and pardons for offences against the United States. The judicial branch consists of the Supreme Court and other federal courts (Article III).
Articles IV, V, and VI embody concepts of federalism, describing the rights and responsibilities of state governments in relation to the federal government, and the shared process of constitutional amendment. The Constitution also includes the Preamble and 27 amendments, with the first 10 amendments known as the Bill of Rights, which place restrictions on the powers of the government and protect individual liberty and justice.
The US Constitution was drafted by state delegates during a 4-month Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 25 to September 17, 1787. Thirty-nine men signed the document, including George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton. The Constitution was ratified on June 21, 1788, and became the official framework of the US government, requiring a population census every 10 years to apportion the US House of Representatives.
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It was drafted in secret
The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, and as of September 17, 2025, it is 238 years old.
The drafting of the United States Constitution was a secretive process, undertaken by a group of delegates who met for the last time on September 17, 1787, to sign the document they had created. The proposal was agreed to by eleven state delegations, with the lone remaining delegate from New York, Alexander Hamilton, also providing his endorsement. The signing took place during the Constitutional Convention, also known as the Philadelphia Convention, which saw heated debates and criticisms of the proposal.
The delegates who drafted the Constitution were aware that their task was controversial and faced significant opposition. They worked behind closed doors to revise the Articles of Confederation, which had been the governing document of the United States since its independence. The Articles of Confederation had been ratified by all thirteen states and formed a loose confederation of states with a weak central government.
The drafters of the Constitution aimed to create a stronger federal government, and they knew that their proposal would face resistance from those who favoured a more decentralized form of governance. As a result, they conducted their discussions and negotiations in private, away from public scrutiny. This secrecy allowed them to negotiate and compromise without the pressure of public opinion.
The Federalists, who supported the Constitution, and the Anti-Federalists, who opposed it, emerged as two factions during this time. The Federalists, including Hamilton, Madison, and Jay, published a series of commentaries known as The Federalist Papers to advocate for ratification. They understood that their efforts would be controversial, and by drafting the Constitution in secret, they were able to shape the document without the interference of opposing factions.
Despite the secrecy surrounding its drafting, the Constitution was submitted to the Congress of the Confederation in New York City just three days after it was signed. This submission marked a critical step in the process of replacing the Articles of Confederation with the new Constitution, which has since become the enduring framework of the United States government.
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It has seven articles
The United States Constitution, the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force, was signed on September 17, 1787. This means that as of September 2024, the US Constitution is 237 years old.
The Constitution comprises seven articles that outline the basic framework of the federal government. The first three articles embody the doctrine of the separation of powers, dividing the federal government into three branches: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial.
Article I describes the legislative branch, consisting of a bicameral Congress. It establishes the manner of election and the qualifications of members of each body. For instance, representatives must be at least 25 years old, be US citizens for seven years, and live in the state they represent.
Article II covers the executive branch, consisting of the President and subordinate officers.
Article III addresses the judicial branch, which includes the Supreme Court and other federal courts.
Articles IV, V, and VI embody concepts of federalism, outlining the rights and responsibilities of state governments, the relationship between the states and the federal government, and the shared process of constitutional amendment.
Article VII establishes the procedure for the 13 states to ratify the Constitution. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify, and the Confederation Congress set March 4, 1789, as the date to begin operating a new government under the Constitution.
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Frequently asked questions
The US Constitution is 237 years old as of this week. It was signed on September 17, 1787.
The US Constitution is the fundamental framework of America's system of government. It separates the powers of government into three branches: the legislative branch, which makes the laws; the executive branch, which executes the laws; and the judicial branch, which interprets the laws.
The US Constitution is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force in the world. It is also the world's shortest national constitution.
